Deep Affection
by The Lifeless girl
Summary: It was so obvious. Howl and Sophie love each other. But they are such complicated people. How exactly will they express their feelings? What dilemmas will they face? HowlxSophie
1. Howl

**If there's one thing I know, is that I should not be uploading this...but I am anyways! I just cant help myself. I love Howl's moving caslte. **

**So...I hope you like it! :D**

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><p>Howl couldn't believe it.<p>

He was in love.

He was in love when he didn't even have a heart! His heart was held by a fire demon, who most likely knew something was a bit off from the flamboyant wizard. Howl knew that Calcifer had some knowledge of some secrets, but he did not feel like talking to him about it, he had no time for teasing. Even so, Calcifer found it joyful to smirk at him whenever he was in the same room as her.

Howl wondered if Markle had noticed anything. With him being at a young age, it's possible that the apprentice didn't take into view that his master was acting a bit strange. Howl admitted it, there was less thoughts about is appearance and more focused on the beautiful young girl in his castle.

Then he would feel something strange pain in his heart. It was tormenting to both is mind and his heart. And that's when Howl had tried to consult his fire demon about this. But Calcifer simply crackled and smirked, saying _"Get used to it. You have to learn for yourself."_

This was after the contract was destroyed between them. And Howl couldn't really force Calcifer to tell him anything useful. Not that he would have if the contract was still valid.

Then Howl wondered if _she_ had noticed anything, whether it was with his heart or hers. He still thought like his old self, he wanted to shower her with affection, for her to pay attention to him, to care for him.

Though Howl found it quite hard when she would just get so…angry. Markle had talked to him about it, saying that if she was never in a good mood here, then maybe she did not want to be in the castle.

The thought of that terrified Howl greatly.

He had then stopped working on mindless spells, he needed to think. Howl wanted to figure out how to get his pretty lover to stay in his castle.

She was different than other girls He knew that much. But even though, she had to love his new idea.

Maybe he should of thought about it earlier. (He kind of did) Maybe that she was angry all the time! Because Howl never asked her.

Howl smiled. Yes his plan was perfect, no flaws no miscalculations what so ever. The only hard part was getting her to agree.

Howl made up his mind; he quickly descended down the stairs, the smile still on his face.

"Sophie!" He cheered, "We need to have a chat!"

The wizard felt…giddy.

Calcifer noticed. He grabbed another log by the hearth, taking a bite while watching Howl.

"Sophie isn't here."

Calcifer's log burned quietly as Howl walked to the chair in front of Calcifer. His smile now gone. He should have been expecting this from her, he sat on the chair and looked at the burning fire.

"She is with her sister isn't she?"

Calcifer's flames grew. "She said it was important. And told me to tell you that she couldn't wait for you to wake up and tell you yourself."

Howl sighed. He knew he should of have not slept in.

"I suppose I will wait for her."

Calcifer smirked. And Howl inwardly groaned.

"What's your plan Howl? Finally going to tell her something that will make you both happy?"

Calcifer was no stupid demon. In his life as a star, he had noticed a lot of things, and how silly human reactions can be. While they all felt so many emotions he only felt one, fear. He was going to be a _falling_ star. Fate changed for him, and he met Howl, and his presumed lover, Sophie Hatter. The fire demon chuckled.

"Calcifer…you know me too well."

"You're a bit predictable Howl." Calcifer crackled again.

Howl smirked. "If you would shut your mouth…then my answer is yes."

The fire moved closer to howl. "How are you going to do it? Just saying you love her isn't going to cut it she will just think your toying with her."

Howl had already thought that though. He was going to do the one thing he completely unsure how to do.

He was going to marry her.

Then Howl was back to being happy again. The large smile back on his face.

"Why are you smiling like that? It's freaking me out…" Calcifer shrunk back to his logs.

"Why you ask? Because I have a brilliant idea! Calcifer, tell Sophie to wait for me when she gets back."

And with that, Howl flew out of the chair, and practically ran to the door, he turned to dial black, and was out of the castle.

Slowly, Calcifer rose from his logs. "Even after Sophie gave him his heart back, he still acts the same…"

The fire demon reached for another log. And then smirked.

"At least he can love Sophie properly now."

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><p><strong>I rarely write this little... I hope you noticed that Howl really loves Sophie. xD<strong>

**HEY! LISTIEN! I am posting this on my cousins computer, meaning I don't have one. (And I dont think I got one for christmas either...)**

**So updates...will be slow. but hey! I already have chapter 7 written down! so Im hoping that this story gets lots of reveiws so I be more motived to steal- I mean buy a laptop...**

**Im serious. REVIEW. because I will be very happy! **

**And you want to know where im going with this story.**

**:D**


	2. Sophie

**HELLO. It's been awhile hasn't it? Like…a year? D: IM SO SORRY.**

**I finally have a brand new home computer. So, I'm happy to present you with the next chapter of this story! Please don't hate me, and review. Because I really want to finish this story and I won't do that if no one reviews….**

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><p>Sophie took another sip of her coffee. She sat comfortably in the chair across from her younger sister. Lettie had one of her bright smiles on again. It made Sophie happy.<p>

It was strange for her to be drinking caffeine, but lately she felt as if she needed it. Plus her chatty sister handed it to her on a whim. She braced herself for whatever her sister wanted to chat about.

"What did you call me here for Lettie?"

Sophie hadn't talked with her younger sister in a while. And while she regretted it a little bit, she could not find the time to actually visit her and the bakery. Lettie had sent a letter to her, ranting on how she had something to talk about. And the fact that she was worried about her sister living with a wizard.

That's another thing Sophie found very strange, living with a man when she wasn't even married to him. She supposed it doesn't matter, since she could never leave their sides, and she doesn't want to live by herself or with her mother or sisters the rest of her life. So when Howl had told her to stay in the castle with him, she couldn't refuse. And is happy with the living arrangements.

"There is much to discuss Sophie! It's been ages since I last talked to you properly."

Sophie sat down her cup of coffee on the table, and took the small cake her sister handed to her.

"We talked last week Lettie, remember?"

Lettie waved a hand at her sister. "Yes, but you were practically ignoring me Sophie! All you did was day-dream about your lover!"

Sophie swallowed her cake slowly. She tried to drink her coffee calmly, but the hot beverage made her face feel redder.

"Howl…I don't think he's my lover Lettie."

Her younger sister made a face. "Sophie you're doing it again! Stop being so hard on yourself, I don't understand why you think Howl isn't in love with you."

"It's really hard to tell if he does Lettie…"

"Well to you maybe! You should really have more confidence in you Sophie…"

Sophie swirled her cup of coffee. "Is that all you really wanted to talk about Lettie?"

Lettie sighed. She quietly ate her cake looked away from her sister.

Sophie didn't quite understand why her sister was so keen on getting her to admit her feelings about Howl. For some reason she wasn't exactly comfortable even thinking about it. It was like she was scared of something. And Sophie didn't like that at all.

"I'm sorry Lettie, I just….I don't know what we are at the moment. It's difficult to explain."

"I know Sophie…I worry about you, Martha does too you know." Lettie smiled at her older sister.

"Please tell her I'm happy right where I am, I keep telling that in our letters, but it feels like she doesn't listen."

Lettie laughed, and nodded her head. Sophie laughed quietly. She thought about how much her sister couldn't stay in a bad mood for long. Although back then when she was younger all she did was throw tantrums along with Martha. Sophie didn't mind taking the responsibility of taking care of her younger sisters. She practically raised them herself, and she was glad her sisters turned out to be fine young ladies. Sophie wondered if she didn't have all those responsibilities as a young child then maybe she would have turned out different.

Maybe she wouldn't have even met Howl.

The very thought made Sophie a bit depressed.

Lettie rose from her chair, and opened the small cupboard and took out a box of tea bags, and a box of freshly made cream pie. She handed them to Sophie with a smile.

"Here, take these, and enjoy them with Howl!" She giggled.

"Thank you Lettie. I hope I can enjoy them with him." Sophie smiled at her sister.

Lettie felt her worries wash away when her elder sister left her house and left for her own. It made her glad to know that Sophie was being taken good care off. Lettie knows her sister deserves it.

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><p>The walk to her the Hat shop wouldn't take long, But Sophie found the time to think anyways.<p>

She thought about her sisters, and how well they were doing. She thought about what she would make for dinner, and whether or not she and Howl would share the pie together and drink some tea.

Living in the Castle with Howl, Calcifer, and Markl made Sophie feel more at home, because she knew she belongs there, whether Howl Loves her or not.

Sophie slowed her pace. She suddenly felt a bit dizzy just thinking about it.

She wondered if Howl even thought about her much. If he even have the time to think about her, what with all those spells he performs for his customers. Does a wizard ever have time for something as dangerous as love?

'_And what about me? Can I even handle being in a relationship with someone so childish?'_

Sophie laughed, ignoring the looks from other people in the streets. She tried to hurry back to her house, back to Howl.

She tried to be positive, it always made things a bit easier to deal with.

Howl Loves Sophie.

She blushed in embarrassment, and then smiled.

And Sophie loves Howl.

It was painfully obvious.

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><p><strong>Yeaaaaah…..I'm just gonna end it there. : Its short I know. I haven't written for stuff for a while… SO GIVE ME A BREAK.**

**Well. Summer is practically gone. It's been an awesome one for me. School starts back up around next week and holy shit ima die. I hear 11th grade is the hardest year.**

**Excuse me while I go die from stress. and the fact that I will be forever alone. **

**(REVIEW TO BRING ME BACK TO LIFE!)**

**: D**


	3. The Dream Begins

**So, surprisingly, school hasn't brutally murdered me….yet. 6 A's and one B! (Fuck you Geometry, excussssse meeee that im not in pre-calc honors...)**

**ANYWAYS. I know it took a while to post the next chapter; I've been working on it, honestly. But I hardly have anytime time to write anything. (And when I do….im often giggling and crying while either watching or reading _Kamisama Hajimemashita_. CHECK IT OUT ITS SO AWESOME.)**

**Another manga that makes me giggle and cry is _Hana to Akuma_. THAT'S ALSO AWESOME.**

**And….It feels like I have to rewatch the movie again, or re read the book. I'm losing my fandom feels. D: THIS CHAPPIE FEELS SO SHORT.**

**Thank you all so much for your kind reviews! ;) Hope theres no mistakes! I wanted to post this as soon as I could!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Markel was almost never bored. There was always something to do, some spell to practice, some book to read, and maybe even something to clean up.<p>

But the young boy was lonely sometimes.

It was worse, back then. He was left alone at such a young age. Then suddenly being brought up by a selfish wizard and a strange talking fire. Markel got used to it all, the long days of talking to Calcifer. Staying up nights to wait for Howl, and learning simple spells. During that time, he couldn't say he was alone, but it was no family…

It was very strange, when out of nowhere, the fire demon let another human in the castle, an old lady at that. Markel was worried, he heard the stories of witches and their kind of power. Even so, Old Sophie was unexpectedly kind to him. Like she was already part of his real family, taking care of him at a different level. She changed everybody, Calcifer was now free, and Howl was acting differently than before.

Markel got up from the floor, picking up scattered papers and stashed them in a small drawer. He sat in the chair in front of the hearth.

"Hey…Calcifer…are you here Calcifer?" he whispered.

It was quite for a moment, but the logs in the hearth moved a bit, and a fire rose.

"Yeah…? What is it kid?' Calcifer yawned. "Sophie should be here soon with something to eat…"

"That's not it, I wanted to ask you something. It's about Master Howl."

Calcifer stared at Markel. "Uh…okay, but hand me another log would you?"

Markel jumped from the chair, he took out a log and tossed it to the fire.

"Hey, hey…," Calcifer waved his tiny arms. "Take it easy, don't throw them on me so hard."

Markel sat in the chair again, staring directly at the fire.

"I still don't get where Howl went Calcifer."

Calcifer had told Markel earlier where Howl and Sophie had gone. And even though Markel didn't really understand Calcifer's explanation, he was glad to know that he would be back soon and not stay out all day and night.

"I already told ya Kid, He went to go be a man and do something important. Don't worry, Sophie should be home any minute by now and start cooking on me." He gave a quite moan.

Markel laughed, then jumped from the chair, it skidded on the wood floor. He raced to the desk, which had been cleaned by Sophie. It was easy to find a paper ripped out from a journal laying there.

"A new spell! It's shorter than the others…"

Calcifer tried to peak at it from across the room. "What's the objective?" the fireball asked.

At first, Calcifer thought Markel didn't understand the question. But the boy groaned and slammed the paper back on the desk.

"It's in Latin. I think…." He replied dejectedly.

"Ha! That stupid wizard. Maybe you should ask Sophie, she's at the door."

The main door creaked open. Sophie waved a hand, in her other hand was deserts from her sister.

"Sophie! Your home!" Markel ran up to her with his arms open to give her a hug.

Sophie smiled brightly. "Hi Markel, did you eat? My sister gave us a little treat."

"Not really…but we have some bread and some other stuff. We can have sandwiches!"

Sophie placed the cake on the desk. "That sounds like a great idea, I'll prepare it soon."

"While you're doing that Sophie," Calcifer popped out from his pile of logs. "I have a message for you. It's from Howl."

Sophie looked back at Calcifer. "What is it?" her voice quite, assuming the worst.

"Apparently he has something very important to tell you."

Sophie was quite, she nervously patted down her dress.

'_What…is he going to say?'_

"He said for you to wait for him. I'm not exactly sure where he went. Or if he would even be back soon."

Now Sophie was on the edge. Markel stood by the desk watching Sophie's reactions.

"Don't worry Sophie! He'll be back soon! I know it! Then we can have that cake!" Markel smiled at her.

Sophie gave a small smile. She walked over to the cupboard to pull out some bread.

"I'll make a snake for you, okay Markel?" She started to gather up whatever she needed.

Markel nodded. He glanced over at Calcifer, the fire demon tried to reach for another log. He moved his tiny arms.

"I wouldn't worry so much Sophie." He said, still waving his arms. Sophie looked back, and then at Markel, he ran to Calcifer and dropped another log on him.

Sophie grabbed a plate for Markel, who ran back to Sophie with a bright smile and hungry eyes.

"Thank you Sophie!" the young boy's mouth filled with food.

Sophie smiled little, she patted his head and went to the sink to clean up. The dishes had piled up, and for once, she didn't feel like washing them. She was so tired all of a sudden, like she just crashed. Sophie glanced back at the dirty sink, but quickly forgot about them. She laid herself down on the couch, overcome with exhaustion. She closed her eyes

"Uh oh…" Calcifer rose up even higher to look at Sophie, the room instantly got brighter, and her face had an orange glow to it.

"Sophie?" Markel quietly placed his plate in the sink, and walked over to her.

"She's fine kid, at least, she _looks _alright. I can see that she's beginning to be mentally exhausted though. Howl must be causing her stress."

Markel went to the closet with a stool, he stood on top of it and pulled out a blanket from the top of the closet. He tossed it over Sophie after making sure the dust was gone.

"Is she gonna be alright?"

Calcifer hummed for a second, a crack in the fire was heard. "People like her can get sick easily if they are stressed out too much. If Howl returns quickly like he said he would, then she will be fine."

Markel looked unsure. Sophie breathed in steady breaths, her face flushed.

"It's nothing to worry about kid," Calcifer tried to cheer Markel up. "I know that this time, Howl will be back soon."

The young boy nodded, he slowly left Sophie's side and walked over to the sink, deciding to help clean for once. He turned on the water, letting it run.

"Hey wait! Before you touch any water, toss me another log."

Markel smiled a little at the fire demon. He closed the faucet and walked over to the fire place. He looked at Sophie again…she didn't look sick.

"You're getting spoiled Calcifer." He told the small fire.

"Trust me kid, you'll know how being spoiled really is soon enough." Calcifer chewed roughly on his new log, the wood burned quickly.

Sophie suddenly moved, and tossed around, snuggling to her blanket. Calcifer and Markel glanced at eachother.

Her face looked like she was having a nightmare.

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><p><strong>Oh Noes! What's wrong with Sophie!? REVIEW TO FIND OUT IN MAH NEXT CHAPTER. LOL.<strong>

**Also, if you have any anime or manga Recommendations, please put it in a review or PM me. I LOVE ROMANCE. SO SEND ME ROMANTIC ANIIMME. (Or korean Drama or maybe even a great Japanese drama!)**

**Ive read the popular ones, Kimi ni todoke, Maid-sama, Say "I love you" among some others. (a list should be on my profile.) but pleeeeaaaaasse send me something : D**

**DONT FORGET TO REEEEVIIEEW. I MIGHT HAVE THE CHAPTER UP SOONER IF YOU DOOO. :D**

WATCH KAMISAMA KISS SO I CAN FANGIRL WITH YOU. Lol sorry im sugar high.


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